I was trying to nap yesterday, and of course when a mind is quiet thoughts sneak in. Our grandson is taking drum lessons, and he is also learning the xylophone in the school band. Percussion. My husband (Tom) recently told me piano is also a percussion instrument. I found myself wondering "Who invented the piano?" I gave up on my nap and went outside to sit next to Tom. I was sure he'd know.
He didn't know "who" but he launched into an interesting effusion of musical facts related to the piano, and modern western music, tuning, keys, chords and even Bach. I never learned an instrument, so I don't have a firm grasp of musical nomenclature. The terms don't resonate with me, but I think I understood the gist of it all. Maybe.
I still wanted to know who invented the piano, so I googled it. AI, currently still an obedient servant, told me this:
"The piano was invented around the year 1700 by Italian instrument maker Bartolomeo Cristofori, who developed the pianoforte, an instrument capable of producing both soft and loud dynamics by using hammers to strike the strings instead of plucking them. The term "pianoforte" was eventually shortened to "piano" and is the basis for the modern instrument we know today."
Now I'm wondering what "Cristofori" means in Italian?
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Thank you for the info on the inventor of the piano. I took piano lessons when I was young and still own a piano that I think I could play if I sat down and practiced for a few days. My grandsons are taking piano lessons, although, their pianos are electronic so probably no hammers striking any strings. (I think?)
ReplyDeleteSo now I wonder if the electronic pianos are percussion, ha?
DeleteIn music class we were taught that the piano is both a stringed instrument and a percussion instrument. I wish I could play. I can only do a one-fingered Jingle Bells.
ReplyDeleteI used to be able to play heart and soul - but not because I knew what I was doing. Someone showed me how.
DeletePlaying the piano is so much fun! Even though I can only play a few simple songs (book: 10 Easy Ways to Play ...) and not well. And it's pure joy to noodle around the keys, seeing what tunes come out. Not that I ever remember any of them. I took lessons for a few years in elementary school and my parents let me quit because I wanted to go out and play after school, not practise for a half-hour. I regret quitting, and keep saying I mean to commit to lessons again one of these years.
ReplyDeleteIts hard to commit to a discipline.
DeleteOh, you got it solved a step earlier than me. Alice thought.
ReplyDeleteI shouldn't have slept so much next time 😪.
Ha.
DeleteOddly enough, I was also wondering who invented the piano. I imagined it was invented well before 1700 but clearly not. I think Cristofori is simply his name, and doesn't mean anything else in Italian.
ReplyDeleteYou are probably right. I tried to use a translator app and no translation came up.
DeleteI once had a baby grand with the softest ivory keys and the sweetest sound. Playing it got me through some hard times. Now, with limited space, I have an electronic piano that, with the push of a button, can mimic a pianoforte, among other instruments. But it has no soul. And no, I wouldn't consider it a percussion instrument - more of a high-tech toy. Still, I am hoping one of my grandchildren will show an interest in it.
ReplyDeleteAs a side note, if you are ever back north, The Cloisters in NYC has an amazing collection of medieval instruments that includes the evolution of the pianoforte.
I would like to see those medieval instruments in the Cloisters. I've never been there.
DeleteDespite all the music I am so grateful to consume, I too am sorely lacking in instrument knowledge.
ReplyDeleteIt seems to be an entire language.
DeleteI am loving this conversation. Piano music is one of my favorite sounds, if I were so inclined to name a "favorite". Thank you for this!
ReplyDeleteYou are so welcome.
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